Fort Collins Family Bike Fair

Having arrived in town on Tuesday, we  immediately jumped back on the bikes and started taking in Fort Collins (and distributing resumes, trying to find housing, etc.).  FC Bikes sponsored a Family Bike Fair today, which we were excited to attend.  Apparently there were supposed to be local bike shops, featuring new products in attendance.  We undoubtedly had a great time, especially chatting with Renold, founder of Yipsan Bicycles http://www.yipsanbicycles.com/ and Dave ‘DK’ Kemp the City’s Bike Coordinator.   Unfortunately we were really disappointed in the local bike shop turnout at the fair.  Where were you guys?  There were loads of kids, parents, and probably eager consumers.  I was hoping there would have been at least one bike shop that offered solutions for carrying children on a bike.  To no avail.  At least Cycletote was on the scene, displaying their trailer http://www.cycletote.com/

Hopefully next year we can offer some solutions for aspiring car-free families.  Perhaps I have the beginnings of an idea for a business…

Home Again, Home Again

Dorothy had it right.  There is no place like home.

We have pedaled all around the Northwest – Awakened in the most mystical of forests, breathtaken by the dramatic cliffs plummeting into the Pacific, and charmed by some of the world’s most friendly and unique people.  But after all of our wandering, we have decided to return home.  Home, for the time, being Fort Collins.

Having grown up in FoCo, I simply didn’t know how good we had it.  Family and friends play a major role, but this small city can easily stand on its own.  I will detail some of those strengths in future blogs, but for now, our decision has been made.  We are digging in, setting down roots, and getting involved.

New cover for the Chariot

Our Chariot Cougar 2 (2005 model) is an absolute necessity in our touring rig.  We decided to purchase it used in 2006 after our first daughter was born because we were uneasy about the $600 investment in the Chassis.  After 4 years of nearly daily use, we could have probably purchased a new model every year with the gas savings alone.  Regardless, we still have the old model, but it has recently needed a little ‘smartening’ up.   After riding around Eugene in a downpour, we realized it was ineffective at keeping the girls dry.  The cloth border quickly became soaked and water started pouring in the fabric screen.  A rain cover costs $44 and would cut into our touring budget, so we decided to improvise.  My sister-in-law came up with the brilliant idea to use a shower curtain.  The curtain cost $10 and we used a hair straightening iron to seal the seams.  Voila!  Now the Chariot is as waterproof as ever.

Thanks to sister Genny for the inspiration and use of her hair products

Quick tour of Corvallis

We love Corvallis.  It is smallish, clean, green, historic and beautiful.  The surrounding landscape is both agricultural and mountainous.  After spending the night with Jodie and Richard (thanks for the glass necklace beads Jodie) we packed the bikes Friday morning and pedaled towards the purple lines on the bike map.   First through downtown where we met mother and daughter Brandi and Alexa for a play in Riverfront Park.

Fun on the Run

We continued along the riverfront bike path and before long we were coasting in the surrounding countryside.

Papa and Eva riding the green pastures

Mary’s Peak is the highest point on Oregon’s Coastal Range and right outside of Philomath, our destination at bike path’s end.

Mary's Peak in the background

After Philomath we looped back around to the north side of Corvallis via bike paths and dedicated open spaces.

View from Midge Cramer Path

Back in Corvallis, we spent a few more hours downtown, stopping for lunch at the Old World Deli.  We were lured in by the ‘World’s Best Brownies’ and ‘Championship Chili’ (both debatable) but the sandwich was fantastic and the owner/author/volleyball coach was quite amusing.   It was a great conclusion to our stay in Corvallis.  We will be back soon.

Note the pair of feet in the window

Benton County Courthouse

Loving Thanks

Now that we have been on the road for about two weeks, we are finally about to begin the bicycle portion of our tour.  This ‘North by Northwest’ (NXNW) tour, as it is now being called had two objectives.  The first objective was to take a bike tour somewhere beautiful in the northwest.  The second, getting to know more about the cities in Oregon that we have read so much about: Eugene was the first on that list (and where both Mark and I have sought employment/education opportunities).  As we examined the weather in the first days of the trip, it appeared as if ‘showers’ were expected in the northwest every day until the end of the forecast.  After major snowstorms in Montana, and Eva feeling under the weather, we decided to set our sights on the Willamette valley – and to get there using the car.

A few days, and many miles later, we found ourselves in the world-class agricultural valley where we tasted the local flavor through visits to an organic bakery and the Deck Family farm.   In Eugene we stayed with the ‘MacRhodes’ (as they will soon be changing their names to) who inspired us with stories from their 11,000-mile cross-continental journey and entertained us (and our daughters) with their wee Isadora.

Missy+1 and baby Isadora

The van rested up as we traveled by bike all around Eugene’s extensive bike trail network and excellent bike-facilitated streets.

Rainy morning and one of the many bridges over the Willamette

We stopped in on some local bicycle icons in Eugene such as the Center for Appropriate Transport and Bike Friday.   The Waldorf school in Eugene was a dreamland, an aesthetic delight tucked away in the forest of the south hills.  Eugene had a lot to offer, but probably not a place I would do anything in order to live in.  We were dismayed about the level of bike theft (apparently second to only New York City) and crime in general.  It was a very educational visit, however, and we met many tremendous people.

After our final day cycling Eugene, we decided to go through Corvallis on our way back to Portland.  It was a beautiful drive on HWY 99W and we parked in downtown Corvallis and immediately fell in love with the little city.  Local shops, a historic downtown, this placed looked and felt a lot like a west coast Fort Collins.

Post Office, Corvallis, OR

We stopped in on the local ‘Bike and Hike’ shop and chatted with a really nice fellow Jordan who explained the many attributes of the city and surrounding landscape.  He recommended we supper at ‘Block 15’, a pub featuring it’s own brew and naturally-raised local meats.

Block 15

Great recommendation.  Our minds were made up, we needed to spend the night in Corvallis and spend the next day exploring the city more thoroughly.  An old friend from Northwest Youth Corps, Jodie, lives in Corvallis, so I e-mailed her around 5:00 pm with my fingers crossed for a floor to crash on (rain clouds were building).  Sure enough, just as we were finishing dinner, Jodie called me and we had a place to stay!  Hooray!  A half hour later we were meeting her boyfriend Richard, their cat Holly, and turtle, iguana, fish and other family members (very exciting for the kids, as you can imagine).

So I guess what I mean to say, after all this dribble, is thanks to the MacRhodes,  Jodie, and Richard for allowing us to explore both Eugene and Corvallis knowing we had a warm place to stay at night.

More on our Corvallis explorations later…

On The Road

We have been on the road since the beginning of April.

By car from Fort Collins, CO, to Bozeman MT for Easter with Oma and Opa Lighthiser.

How does the Easter Bunny turn boiled eggs into plastic?

Cold.  Snow.  Eva got sick, and therefore very little riding in Bozeman.

Then to Plains, MT to see Oma and Opa’s little ‘Paradise’ away from home.

Next a long day’s drive to Portland, OR where we saw a beautiful waterfall en route and stayed with my former associate at Geosyntec Annette, and her husband and son Jeff and Owen, respectively.

Next to the Deck family farm in Junction City, OR for a few days of WWOOFing (more on that delicious experience to come). 

And today and yesterday in Eugene, OR where we have had the pleasure of meeting and staying with the ‘warmshowers’ family the MacRhodes – a couple that took a 11,000 mile bike tour around the US in 2006-2007.  Today we FINALLY got back on the bikes for a 28-mile tour of Eugene.  It rained most of the morning and we got soaked.  But no matter, a stop at a coffee shop, two coffees, one split kid’s hot chocolate, and one Clara poop later, and we were ready to ride.  And to our great fortune, the skies parted, and the remainder of the evening (we rode until about 8:00 pm) was spectacular.  A lovely bowl of soup with four spoons from Market of Choice and a bath, and we are all feeling warm and drowsy.  Time for bed.  Goodnight.

The Tour

After many iterations we have finally decided on the tour route.   Today we ordered the maps for the Sedro-Woolley, WA, to Elma, WA section of the Washington Parks ACA route.  From Mark’s brother’s townhouse near North Bend, WA, we will travel by bike to Olympia National Park to tour the island section of the Washington Parks sometime in mid-April.  After our tour of the forest, we will travel south via the Pacific Coast, or preferably the ACA’s new Sierra Cascades route.  We hope to arrive in the Eugene area in early June, or earlier, if the kids allow for longer mileage days.

Xtracycle Stoker Bar Jury Rig

Eva loves riding on the snap deck of the Xtracycle on our Big Dummies.   About a year ago, Mark made a child seat for his snap deck, which unfortunately both of the girls quickly outgrew.

The seat. A 5 pt. harness from an old car seat was attached after this photo

Now that Eva will be 4 (where did the time go?), she can comfortably sit on the deck – so long as she has something to hold onto.  Xtracycle sells a ‘stoker bar’ for this purpose, but the last time I checked it was $60!  Mark happened to have an extra stem lying around that was too long to be comfortable, so the stem, plus a $10 kids handlebar from Recycled Cycles and some new $5 grips = perfect.  Our own version of the stoker bar in Pink (our favorite color) and Eva is STOKED!

Eva with her new Stoker Bar

Cruising in my parents' neighborhood

Bike Prep

In preparation for the bike touring season, Mark and I have been gearing up.  Mark is extremely stoked, packing, and repacking panniers.  He is going to be an ace by the time we hit the road.  Now if only the weather would cooperate so we could do a mini-tour with the girls…  Stay tuned.

Mark's Surly LHT equipped with new Ortlieb Bike Packer Plus Panniers

Mark as he contemplates the necessary gear

We will be traveling with the Bobike seats and Chariot

Been a while

A lot changes in a week.  Since my last post, we have narrowed down our ‘future plans’ and focused on Eugene.  Eugene has many attractive employment options for my cycling-obsessed husband, Bike Friday, Co-Motion Cycles, Center for Appropriate Transport, to name a few.  For myself, there is a Waldorf Teacher Education program in Eugene, where I hope to learn more about Rudolf Steiner, and gain teaching credentials.

Our time in Colorado is limited now.  In ways, a shame, as the days are getting warmer and the mountains are beckoning.  We will undoubtedly miss the support of my parents, who the kids have grown so close to.  Our friends the Burnhams, which we recently reunited with, will once again be long-distance friends.  The northwest is  a dream that Mark and I have been chasing since leaving Montana in 2008.  It is time to finally wing it.

We will really miss Old Town Fort Collins

A fun fish in Old Town

At a recent play date with the Burnhams